President Bush together with the other G-8 Leaders committed to
take all necessary steps to eradicate polio by the end of 2005. The
G-8 have already closed the 2004 funding gap for the Polio Eradication
Initiative, and agreed to work with other donors to close the 2005 gap
by the 2005 G-8 Summit.

G-8 Action: The G-8 countries have taken up the challenge
of eradicating polio and together with partners from the public and
private sectors have raised over $3.3 billion to fund polio
immunization campaigns around the world. The G-8 Leaders are committed
to the goal of eradicating polio by the end of 2005, and to that end
they agreed to:

Work together with other public and private donors to
close the 2005 funding gap by the 2005 G-8 Summit; the

G-8 and other donors have already closed the funding gap for 2004;
and

Urge the governments of the six polio-endemic countries
and the nine countries in which polio is now spreading to take stronger
steps to contain and destroy the polio virus. The G-8 welcomed and
recognized the special contribution made by Rotary International to the
eradication of polio.

U.S. Leadership: Since 1988, the United States has led
global efforts to eradicate polio:

The U.S. has pledged or
contributed $981.3 million for the global Polio Eradication Initiative,
or 28.2% of the $3.48 billion total pledged worldwide since 1988, and
has also provided $38 million in additional bilateral programs in
support of these efforts.